Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-12-07

Tue uccr, Idster Tue u0gS, unGlI plunSeS lnI
Schroon Lake, and the hounds can follow j
no further, and it puts down its head ant
mouth until the nostril is clean submerge'
in the cool wave, and / understand it: "a
the hart panteth for the water-brook, q
panteth my soul after thee, o God" Oh
bring me water from that well | Littl
child, who has learned of Jesus in the Sab
bath school, bring me some of that livinl
water. Old man, who fifty years ago dds
find the we'll, bring me some Of that water
Stranger IN strange land, who used tt
hear sung amidst the Highlands of Scot
land, to the tune of Bonnie Doon,' 9Th.
Star, the Star of Bethlehem" bring m,
some of that water. Whosoever drinketf
of that water shall never thirst. ''Oh thai
one would give me drink of the water of the
well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.'
Again, this Gospel we'll, like the one spo
ken of in the text, is captured well.-
David remembered the time when thai
good water of Bethlehem was In the posses.
sion of his ancestors. His father drank
there, his mother drank there. He remem
bered how the water tasted when be was 9
boy, and came up there from play. We
never forget the old well we used to drink
out of when we wero boys or girls. There
was something in it that blessed the lips
and refreshed the brow better than any.
thing we have found since. As we think
of that dear old well, the memories Of the
past flow into each other like crystalline
drops, sun n-glinted, and all the more as wa
remember that the hands that used to Law
hold the rope, and the hearts that beat
against the we'll curb are still now. We
never get over these "reminiscences. George
P. Morris, the great song-writer of this
k4 ~
'Woodman, Spare that Tree, !" was sung in
great concert hall, and the memories of
early hfe were SO wrought upon the audi
ence by that song that, after the singing
was done, an aged man arose in the audi
ence, overwhelmed with emotion, and SAID,
''Sir, will you please to tell me whether
the woodman really spared the tree ?" We
never forget the tree under which we play
ed. We never forget the fountain at which
we drank. Alas for the man who has no
early memories.
David thought of that we'll, that boyhood
we'll, and he wanted drink of it, but he
remembered that the Philistines had cap
Iured it. When those three men tried to
come up to the well in behalf of David,
they saw swords cleaning around about it.
And this is true Of this Gospel well. The
Philistines have at times captured it,
When we come to take full, old-fashioned
drink of pardon and comfort, do not their
swords of indignation and sarcasm flash?
Why, the skeptics tell ns that we cannot
come to that fountain ! They say the water
is not fit to drink any how. ''If you are
really thirsty now, there is the well of
philosophy, there in the well of art, there
is the well of science." They try to substi-
tute, instead of our boyhood faith, a
modern mixture. They say a great many
beautiful things about the soul, and they
try to feed our immortal hunger on rose
leaves, and mix mint-julep of worldly
stimulants, when nothing will satisfy us
but ga drink of the water of the well of
Bethlehem, which is at the gate" They
| try to starve us on husk, when the Father 8
banquet is ready, and the best ring is taken
from the casket, and the sweetest harp is
struck for the music and the swiftest foot
| is already lifted for the dance. They
to measure eternity with their hour-glass,
and the throne of the great God with their
yard-stick abhor it. I tell you the old
gospel well is captured we'll. pray God
thst there may be somewhere in the elect
host three anointed men, with courage
enough to go forth in the strength of the
omnipotent God, with glittering swords of
truth, 60 hew the way back again to that
old we'll. think the tide is turning, and
that the old gospel is to take its place again
in the family and in the university, and in
the legislative hall. Men have tried world
ly PHILOSOPHERS, and have found out that
they do not give any comfort, and that they
drop an arctic midnight upon the death
pillow. They fail when there is dead
chill in the house and when the soul
comes to leap into the fatbomless ocean of
eternity they give to the man not so much
as broken spar to cling to. Depend upon
it, that well will come into our possession
again, though it has been captured. If
there be not three anointed men in the
Lords host with enough conservation to do
the work, then the swords will leap from
Jehovah's buckler, and the eternal three
will descen6-God the Father, God the
Son, God the Holy Ghost-conquering for
our dying race the way back again to "the
water of the we'll of Bethlehem, which is by
the gate" '1f God be for US, who can be
against US ?" eff God spared not His own
Son, but freely gave Him up for us all,
how shall he not with Him also freely give
us all thingsa" 'For am persuaded that
neither height, nor depth, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, ror things pres
|
us, into final captivity, the Gospel of my
blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Again. the Gospel we'll, like the one
spoken of in my text, is we'll at the gate.
| The traveller stops the camel to-day and
gets down and dips out of the valley Of the
| East some very beautiful, clear, bright
water, and that is ont of the very well that
David longed for. Do you know that well
was at the gate, so that nobody could 60
into Bethlehem without going right past it?
Aud so il is with this Gospel well-it is at
the gate. 1t is. in the first place, at the
gate of publication. We cannot wash
away our sins unless with that water.
take the responsibility of saying that there
is no man, woman or child in this house to-
day that has escaped sinful def1lement.-
Do you say it is outrageous and ungallant
for me to make such charged De you
say, 81 have never stolen-I have never
blasphemed-I have never committed un-
chasity-I have never been guilty of muir
der?" reply, you have committed sin
worse than blasphemy, W. rse than uu-
chastity, worse than theft, worse than mur
der We have all committed it. We have
by our sin re-crucified the Lord, and that is
decided. And if there be any who dare to
plead "not guilty. to the indictment, then
the nO6tS OF heaven Will 10 cIupdueleu as
Jury to render unanimous verdict against
us; guilty one, guilty all. With what a
slashing stroke that one passage cuts us
away from all our pretensions. ''There is
none that doeth good-no, not one." "Oh, :"
says some one, call we want, all the race
wants, is development Now I want to
tell you that the race develops without the
Gospel into sodom, Five Points, great
Salt Lake City. 1t always develops down.
ward, and never upward, except az the
grace of God lays hold of it. What, then,
is to become of our soul without Christ?
Banishment. Disaster. But I bless my
Lord Jesus Christ that there is a we'll at
the gate of publication. For great sin,
great pardon. For eighty years of trans
gression, an eternity of forgiveness. For
crime deep as hell, an atonement high as
heaven; that where sin aboundsd, SO grace
may much more abound; that as sin reign
ed unto death even SO may grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord. Angel Of the Cow
enant, dip thy wing in this living fountain
to- day, aud wave it over this solemn assem-
blage, that our souls may be washed in
toLo .uoeo, ~ III O xyol1 of Rathlohor, ubioh